What Should The Red Wings Do With Frans Nielsen?
By Nate Brown
Frans Nielsen has always been a lightning rod for the questionable decisions of the Ken Holland era. The 36-year-old center was signed in 2016 to a six-year, $31.5 million deal and the reception was lukewarm from Detroit Red Wings fans. Nielsen’s numbers and acumen were respectable but hardly enough to replace the departure of Pavel Datsyuk.
Worse, it felt like a panic “Plan B” after it turned out Steven Stamkos was staying in Tampa Bay—which for Red Wings fans–was the reason Detroit passed on Jakob Chychrun and traded their 1st with Datsyuk’s contract to Arizona. So a $5.25M cap hit for a guy who scored twenty or more goals just twice in his career was a cause for concern.
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It proved to be correct. Nielsen’s production has decreased with every passing year and last year cratered to a paltry four goals and five assists in sixty games. We all know the team was a mess, but when being paid big dollars, there are higher expectations. He’s been saddled quite a bit in the defensive zone (59.8% dZS last season) which could account for lower numbers. But it also says something that Blashill has him primarily out there in his own zone. Not exactly an endorsement for his play or his high price tag.
When Nielsen was scratched in favor of Bobby Ryan for Saturday’s victory over Carolina, it was widely applauded by fans. It shows again that the tie does not go to the veteran anymore and that loyalty, as was the norm for most of the decade, is no longer the credo. But it does bring up interesting points.
If Nielsen spends considerable time this season watching, even though he has an A on the sweater, what’s the best move going forward? While it’s a “what have you done for me lately” business, there is still a human element to the question. Players talk around the league and the Red Wings, who are building for the future, still have to work within a certain framework to appeal to free agents down the road. (Though as Bobby Ryan pointed out, the words Steve Yzerman should be enticing enough).
There’s always the buyout in the next offseason, which was rumored this past offseason. According to CapFriendly, triggering the buyout this offseason would save $1 million for the 2021-22 season while having only $500k on the ledger in 2022-23. Worth it? Depends on how you look at it. If the Wings have moved on from Frans, then it works. They have the cap space to do it and the hit is minimal during the second year. If they want to spend more, there are other possibilities to rid themselves of the deal.
Route number two would be trading him to one of the few teams on his no-trade list. It would either involve swapping a contract that would most likely fall off after this season or maybe even providing a sweetener.
The final choice is riding it out. It’s only for another season. He can be slotted in for players struggling and he is a veteran voice in what will likely be a younger team next season.
It will be interesting to see his usage over the next few weeks. Gone are the days of high priced veterans getting the benefit of the doubt in the Red Wing lineup. It’s likely he’ll be platoon with other fourth liners. Or, in the end, maybe it’ll be more viewing from the skybox.